www.workingexamples.org @workingexamples

Building a foundation for impactful work –

a design jam

Anna Roberts @wranglecreative

Jolene Zywica @jolenezywica

Courtney Francis @cfrancisrun

Design Strategy

because good design is more than just cool ideas

No, we should do this!

I have an idea! What about this?

Ummm...?

No, we should do this!

I have an idea!

What about this?

Ummm...?

Constraints(schedule, users needs & wants,

the market, technology, your team’s skills, etc)

“Strategic” Design

STRATEGIC DESIGN PROCESS

Empathy DEfinE iDEatE prototypE fEEDback

Looking outward:Research & develop an

understanding of potential constraints

Synthesis:Based on your research, define and prioritize the

things you want to shape your project.

Brainstorm ideas

(Now for the fun part!)

Iterate!Build, test, get feedback, refine, repeat

(as you narrow in on your solution)

DiscovEry DEsign

Workshop agenda

Define the problem or challenge your working to address Determine your audience and identify what you know and don’t know about them Prioritize goals for yourself, your team, and your client Discuss next steps: challenges, constraints, & assumptions

Introductions

• Name, Project name

• Idea or project you’re working on today*

• Goal for the workshop

*make it quick. 1-2 sentences.

Example

Getting an MRI is scary and causes stress for children and their caregivers.

Photo by Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Photo by Dom Sagolla is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The Problem

What problem are you trying to solve?

Focus on a challenge someone else faces (not what you want to make).

Why is this is an important problem to solve?

What problem are you trying to solve?

Why does it need a solution?

Individually: Write down the most important problem you’re trying to solve.

Team: Discuss the problems you all wrote down and come to a consensus on the most important problem your team is trying to solve. Write it down.

We know: • MRI machines look big

and scary • Sick people use an MRI

machines • Children are often

sedated • Parents worry about their

kids

• Sometimes appointments are cancelled if anesthesiologists aren’t available

• Doctor’s offices are often cold, sterile and not very friendly or comforting.

Problem: Getting an MRI is scary and stressful for children and their caregivers.

What you know, what you don’t know

What do you know about the problem?

1. Write down what you know about the problem. (2 min)

2. Create a web of what you know and show relationships and themes. (4 min)

Are you making any assumptions?

What you know, what you don’t know

Problem: Getting an MRI is scary and stressful for children and their caregivers.

We don’t know: • How children perceive the MRI machine.

• How children interact with the MRI machine.

• What children want or need when getting an MRI.

• What parents and children are told about the MRI machine.

Write down what you don’t know about the problem in the form of a question. Post questions on the wall using separate sticky notes.

Next, post any answers you have on sticky notes. There can be multiple answers (or none!) for each question.

Read the questions and answers out loud. Identify which questions still need to be answered.

Discuss and document:

• How will we answer these questions?

• Where can we get more information?

• Who can help us?

• What skills/resources do we need?

• How will we document information?

What you know, what you don’t know

Reflection – the Problem

Did you discover something unexpected?

What are you looking forward to exploring more?

Stakeholder maps

Create two lists: 1. Who is most effected by the problem? (target

audience) 2. Who else is related to the problem? Sketch out your stakeholder map.

• Draw a symbol of a person for each different type of stakeholder. • Write a label describing their role or title. • Draw lines with arrows connecting the stakeholders. • Write a label on the line to describe relationships. • Circle and label related groupings.

Stakeholder maps

Profiles

Choose the primary stakeholder and create a persona profile. Make profiles for others who you expect will impact your project.

Write a personal description for each including a name, a picture, and descriptive qualities. • What are their needs and goals?

• Summarize their mindset with a memorable quote.

• Tips: avoid stereotypes, use illustrations, ask for other’s input and feedback

Profiles

About Goals

Fears Motivations

What do I look like?

What do I do? What are my interests? What is my life like?

What do I want to achieve? What is important to me?

What are my values? What guides my decisions? Who are the important people in my life?

What negative forces affect my decisions? What consequences would affect my life negatively?

What’s my name?

What’s my favorite quotation?

Reflection - Audience

Did you discover something unexpected?

What are you looking forward to exploring more?

Individually, write down the goals for the project (your personal, your teams, your clients) on sticky notes. Use as many sticky notes as you need and post them on a large piece of paper when you’re done. With your team, read all the goals out loud and begin to organize the sticky notes based on common themes and goals. Draw circles around common goals and label them. Individually, put stars next to the top two most important goals. Look at the statements that didn’t get stars. Why didn’t anyone vote for them?

Goals

The MRI adventure series

Photo from http://opiniaorh.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gepirata.png

Next Steps

Narrow down your idea and make sure it addresses the problem, audience needs, and goals. Make a list of all the challenges and constraints you face with your idea. Discuss how you can address these challenges.

– What challenges do you anticipate? – What are you missing? – What support/resources do you need? – Who would oppose the idea? – What will be most difficult? – What questions do you have about your audience, needs, goals, etc?

Think about… – How will you document progress, success, failures as individuals and as

a team? – How will you know if you’ve achieved your goals? What are your

measures of success?

Congratulations! You’ve just created the Seed of an Example. Now it’s time to share your ideas

and process and get some feedback.

workingexamples.org

Questions? Email info@workingexamples.org